Partnership between SFU and Burnaby Neighbourhood House utilizes digital mapping tools to design accessible built environments

Congratulations to Gerontology Professor Dr. Atiya Mahmood for receiving funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Engage Grant.

Mahmood is the Principal Investigator on the project, “Visualizing and Improving Urban Accessibility in B.C. Municipalities through Community Engaged Research: Case Study of Burnaby,” which is a partnership with the Burnaby Neighbourhood house (BNH). 

By 2050, 6.25 billion people are expected to be living in urban centres with 15% of them predicted to be persons with disability. With the rate of population growth rapidly increasing, knowledge mobilization around accessibility and inclusion in urban environments will be more prevalent. Although urban planning policies have adapted to the needs of vulnerable community members when developing accessibility committees and plans, existing urban environments are not reflected in these plans.

An inventory of accessibility within urban environments' cities and an examination of the impact of current environments on community members is needed to understand the challenges that people face. Findings from this project will help in the co-creation of inclusive built environments. Through this partnership with the BNH, digital mapping tools will be used to help municipalities build these inventories. Similarly, this partnership will lead to the development of a community program aimed at mapping the accessibility of the City of Burnaby’s (COB) pedestrian environments in collaboration with those who live and experience those environments. This project is a collaborative project with the COB and the Civic Innovation Lab.

The Civic Innovation Lab combines the expertise and resources of Simon Fraser University and the City of Burnaby to find fresh solutions to challenges and issues affecting cities, from building inclusive communities, to achieving sustainable growth, to addressing the impacts of climate change.

Including older adults as co-researchers through in-person audits of neighbourhoods is a key part of this project. They play an instrumental role in identifying areas of improvement to meet the needs of people with disabilities. Furthermore, this research will impact the planning and policymaking within the COB to improve the lives of its citizens by initiating actionable changes in the community.